Of Schemes and Kisses

“Thank the gods you’re finally here,” the Kingsguard at Rhaenys’ door said while Jon strode down the hallway to take his watch, finally finished cleaning up from his sparring in the tourney. He frowned, puzzled why the man was pleased to see him, and he placed a hand on the hilt of his sword.

“What’s going on?” Jon questioned, hoping his suspicions were incorrect.

“The princess has been requesting your presence and constantly checking to see if you have arrived,” the Kingsguard explained and Jon raised his eyebrows.

“Really? Do you know why?”

“She wishes to congratulate you on your performance in the tourney. I would go in now, if I were you. Her lady in waiting is due back shortly so perhaps she will provide you with an excuse to leave,” he answered and Jon nodded before knocking on the door, reluctant to see her after his embarrassing loss to Robb yet again.

“Come in!” Rhaenys called so Jon opened the door and shuffled inside. “Oh, Jon! I’ve been wanting to speak with you all day long!” Jon’s face reddened as he closed the door and he took his time approaching Rhaenys who was setting down pins from her hair on a table, the red flower wreath still atop her head.

“Why?” he asked simply, still downhearted from his loss at the tourney and not exactly in the mood for a conversation.

“I wish to congratulate you on your valour. You fought very well, I was impressed and expected nothing less from you,” Rhaenys smiled but Jon’s face remained in a scowl.

“You expected me to not win?” he countered and Rhaenys’ eyebrows pinched with confusion.

“I didn’t say that…” she trailed off before noticing that something was off with him. “What’s wrong?”

“What’s wrong? What’s wrong is that I was supposed to win, and once again Robb trumped me!” Jon exclaimed, taking Rhaenys aback by how much the situation had affected him.

“You were supposed to win? Why? What good would that have done?” Rhaenys asked, genuinely wondering but noticing how her words had hurt him.

“I wanted to be the one to crown you, I wanted to show you that I was worthy of being with you!” Jon justified and Rhaenys exhaled with shock.

“That could not have ended well,” she breathed.

“Why not?”

“You know why! If someone other than Robb crowned me, there would have been a lot of consequences, more so for you than I,” Rhaenys explained. “I am betrothed to him, not you. It was foolish for you to think about crowning me if you won!”

“Foolish? Foolish!” Jon repeated, outraged. “If that was foolish then what is this between us? Whatever this is, isn’t it foolish?” His words upset Rhaenys and she took a step backwards, looking to the side as she gulped and tried to think of a response.

“You have a point, and I have no counter,” she eventually said in a hushed voice, surprising Jon.

“So what have we been doing? Pretending that there was a chance we could somehow be together? Did you ever have feelings for me?” he asked and her hesitation made him rub his hands across his face, trying to wake himself from the nightmare.

“I don’t know what I feel for you, Jon. I’ve been struggling with that a lot,” she confessed as she recalled her conversation with Oberyn. She was still uncertain as to how much they had developed beyond a respect for looking past each other’s titles, and she didn’t know how much happiness she would gain from pursuing Jon instead of Robb. “Don’t you ever question what is between us?”

“Every day,” he agreed.

“And what do you conclude, if anything?”

“That you mean a lot to me, and that I couldn’t bear to lose you,” Jon admitted.

“Is that all?” Rhaenys wondered and he shook his head.

“Of course not. I feel as though we have all we need to start a relationship, an emotional and physical attraction, if only the circumstances were different. But we could make them different, we could flee and live together without the judgement of others,” he rambled, stopping when he saw Rhaenys beginning to shake her head.

“No…”

“Why not? You have the courage to do so, I know it!” Jon pleaded but Rhaenys kept her focus on the floor, trying to not look to his begging dark eyes that she knew she would give in to.

“You’re wrong, I don’t have the courage,” she replied and Jon frowned, not from disappointment in her answer but from uncertainty.

“That is unlike you to say,” he pointed out and she stiffened. “Please be honest with me, Rhaenys. You have nothing to fear from speaking the truth, even if it is not what I would like to hear, I swear it.” Rhaenys raised her gaze, hearing the sincerity in his voice, and felt safe enough to speak.

“I’m scared,” she whispered while she took a seat on the edge of her bed.

“Scared? Of what?” Jon questioned her in a soft voice, approaching the bed and sitting next to her when she showed no sign of opposing his presence.

“Being hunted… Being brought back to my father and locked away for the rest of my life, or worse… death…”

“I wouldn’t let that happen to you,” Jon promised but Rhaenys shook her head.

“You couldn’t possibly guarantee that. They are likely options and you know it,” she countered and Jon sighed.

“Well then, what do we do? Because it is killing me watching Robb lure you under his charm, and now we are mere days from your wedding, and there is no way I could possibly attend that,” Jon said and Rhaenys lied back on her bed, staring at the ceiling as she tried to think of what she desired to happen.

“I have no idea,” she whispered and Jon turned to look at her. Her black curls were sprawled against the blanket beneath her, contrasting the bright red flowers atop her head, and her eyes glistened with tears that were yet to fall. She was still beautiful to him despite her sorrow.

“Perhaps after you wed my brother…” Jon trailed off, hesitant about actually voicing the words. “And you travel to the North, we could continue what we have together? Could we keep this a secret in Winterfell?” Rhaenys’ eyes lit up.

“After I go to the North?” she repeated. “I will do no such thing!”

“That’s part of the terms of your wedding, that you return to Winterfell with Robb afterwards,” Jon clarified, surprised that she didn’t know.

“No…” Rhaenys breathed, terrified of leaving King’s Landing and going somewhere that wasn’t Dorne. “This has been his plan the entire time…”

“What has?” Jon wondered as Rhaenys sat up. The pieces were all coming together in her head.

“My father… He hates me visiting Dorne, embracing their culture, and that’s why he did this… He arranged the wedding to send me away, lock me up as far away from Dorne as he possibly can before I embarrass him further,” Rhaenys explained, voicing her thoughts more for her own understanding than Jon’s. “Gods, I can’t believe this… But it makes sense…”

“If that’s the truth, I am sorry to hear that,” Jon said when Rhaenys became lost in thought.

“I can’t have this happen, Jon, I just can’t,” she said, her voice showing her panic while her heart raced from the fright. “I can’t do this… I can’t think about what we have and figure out exactly what I feel for you- We’ve always lived in the moment together, and considering a future with you is just… frightening, because of the consequences…”

“I understand.”

“Do you? Do you truly see how terrified I am of dying, or you dying?” Rhaenys retorted and Jon swept her hands up in his.

“I understand,” he repeated to reassure her. “But perhaps you should remember why you would be risking death, and if it would be worth it to you.”

“Gods, I don’t know, I would have to contemplate that,” Rhaenys breathed, unable to come to a conclusion on the spot. There were too many factors to take into account.

“So consider this, then. If you would like to disappear with me, then take your spear and run to the harbour instead of walking into the Great Sept. And if you would rather another fate, then don’t meet me there,” Jon proposed and Rhaenys met his eyes, Jon finally spotting some hope inside her.

“You are prepared to…” she trailed off, becoming lost in his eyes.

“Yes.”

“I don’t know if I can overcome my fear,” Rhaenys admitted after a pause and Jon stood, Rhaenys wishing that he wasn’t letting go of her hands.

“Then I will provide you with time to consider your situation,” he said before bowing his head and shifting towards the door.

“Thank you, Jon,” Rhaenys muttered and he hesitated, looking over his shoulder at her, a Southern beauty he was still mesmerised by.

“I know you’ll make the right decision,” he remarked before leaving her chambers, full of faith that they would end up together despite the odds.


Rhaenys stepped inside her father’s grand chambers and was glad to see that her mother was absent. Having her present was only going to make things worse, and it was difficult enough for Rhaenys to approach her father like this despite all of their confrontations in the past.

“What is it, dear?” Rhaegar asked as he gestured for her to take a seat opposite him at the table. She obliged and kept her eyes focused on her hands, twisted together from her anxiety.

“I need to know something, and please do not interpret this as me arguing with you because I do not wish to fight, only discuss,” Rhaenys attempted to explain, knowing that she could not bear to suffer from another quarrel with a loved one.

“I understand,” Rhaegar nodded and Rhaenys inhaled as slow as possible to try to calm herself.

“I want to know the real reason behind you arranging me to marry Robb Stark,” she said, glad that the words had fallen from her lips and she could no longer take them back. The subject had been risen and now Rhaegar had no choice but to answer her.

“The real reason?” he repeated and Rhaenys nodded.

“I’m sure that diplomacy played a role, but was there anything else?” she continued but her father only frowned at her.

“If you suspect something, just say it so I can confirm or deny,” he said.

“Did you choose Robb as my betrothed because the North is as far away from Dorne that you can send me?” Rhaenys blurted and Rhaegar’s only reaction was a slight widening of his eyes.

“What on earth made you think that?” he wondered.

“Yesterday the news reached me that one of the terms of my marriage to Robb is that afterwards I travel to the North and live in Winterfell with him. Why was I never told this? Is it true?”

“There are plenty of reasons why I might not tell you certain things, just as you have your reasons for keeping things from me, such as your fornication with whores,” Rhaegar began with a disapproving tone that made Rhaenys feel immensely guilty. “I will begin by saying that that term is true. Part of the wedding arrangement is that you will leave King’s Landing and rule with Robb over the North, rather than him leaving his kingdom behind for you. Does that make sense?”

“Well, yes, but-”

“And I kept it a secret from you to avoid you feeling discouraged. I wanted you to meet Robb and develop a relationship with him without feeling the pressure of leaving behind King’s Landing. I felt as though that would interfere with any feelings you might naturally develop for him,” Rhaegar continued. Rhaenys was surprised to find that her father truly had good intentions behind his plan and why he had kept the news from her.

“So it’s not to keep me from Dorne, from my mother’s side of the family?” she asked for clarification and he shook his head.

“I know how important they are to you, and as much as it can upset me that you take after your mother and not me, I have come to realise that that is something I simply cannot change,” Rhaegar confessed with a heavy heart.

“Oh… Well I am sorry that I thought negatively about this, I was just confused when I heard the news,” Rhaenys apologised as she stood.

“Sit down, I’m not finished,” Rhaegar instructed and she quickly sank back into her seat, concerned about what was still to come. “I am aware that you have not necessarily been loyal to your betrothed.”

“I thought we already discussed the whore situation and that you understood?” Rhaenys asked and her father shook his head.

“Not that. I’m talking about Jon,” he said and Rhaenys’ jaw dropped, completely astonished that he somehow knew.

“How…” she trailed off, unable to finish her sentence.

“I’m the king, I have to know everything,” Rhaegar concluded, unwilling to reveal his secret. “I am also aware of your fight with him last night. Would I be correct in assuming that this nonsense with him is over now? And don’t bother lying to me, Rhaenys, I know you better than you might think.” She gulped as she tried to think of how to answer, settling on honesty being the best answer.

“I don’t know…” she whispered before sighing. “I am uncertain about how I feel.”

“I am going to tell you something that you will not like to hear, but you must understand that my intentions were good and I now believe that you have learned greatly by me doing so,” Rhaegar said and Rhaenys nodded, wanting him to continue. “I set Jon as your guard for a reason.”

“Oh no,” Rhaenys groaned, already seeing where he was going, and it was a terrible nightmare she didn’t want to be a part of.

“It was almost perfect, aside from him being the half-brother of your betrothed, but I guessed that the Greyjoy boy wasn’t your type,” Rhaegar carried on and his daughter rubbed her forehead with her hand from embarrassment. “It was a test to see what you would do. I wanted to see where your loyalties would lie, if it was to the throne, to your family, or if it was only to yourself.”

“Well I suppose I have failed you, yet again,” Rhaenys spat, disappointed in herself as well as him.

“In a way I was hoping that you would. That way you would learn a lesson and grow from the experience. You need to gain some wisdom before you can become a queen, if that were to ever happen,” Rhaegar said and Rhaenys lowered her gaze at the thought of becoming queen.

“I don’t want to become-”

“I know, but you might not have a choice,” Rhaegar interrupted her and Rhaenys leaned back in her chair, feeling as though she was going to remain there for a while listening to him talk. “A good queen will not give in to her personal temptation, and she will do what is best for her family as well as the realm. When I was a prince, about your age, I encountered a similar situation and learned greatly from it.”

“What? You did? How come I have never heard of such a thing?” Rhaenys questioned before coming to the answer herself.

“Having stories of an unfaithful prince in the books is not ideal,” he answered. “Would you like to hear the story?”

“Of course,” she nodded, eager to know how her father could relate to her current woes.

“When I was a prince I married your mother, and though I was not in love with her I was still content. And then I met another woman,” Rhaegar began and his daughter gasped at the news that her parents were not the happy couple she perceived them to be. “Her name was Lyanna Stark.”

“Really? Robert Baratheon’s wife?” Rhaenys exclaimed and Rhaegar hung his head with sorrow.

“Yes, that’s her. The aunt to your betrothed,” he confirmed and Rhaenys’ eyes failed to blink, wide with shock. “We met at a tourney at the castle of Harrenhal, which I won. I crowned her the Queen of Love and Beauty, choosing her over Elia because I had become infatuated with Lyanna. I thanked the gods endlessly when Robb was able to defeat Jon, as I knew what would have conspired had Jon won instead and undoubtedly crowned you.”

“History would have repeated,” Rhaenys agreed with a wince, struggling to hear her father’s tragic story.

“I had an opportunity to run away with Lyanna. She returned my feelings of love but we soon realised that we could never be together. A moment of happiness was not worth sacrificing our lives for, as we knew that death would come from rebelling against the Martell and Baratheon houses. Instead of meeting to exile to Essos together, we put an end to our romance and swore to be faithful to Elia and Robert instead. It was the right thing to do, Rhaenys. We chose the realm over ourselves,” Rhaegar finished and he smiled slightly when he saw her begin to nod.

“I understand, I truly do…” she breathed, surprised with herself for comprehending it all. “And how are you now? Does it hurt that she has had children with Robert in the Stormlands? Or have you moved on from your love with her?”

“She is a piece of me that I will never let go of,” Rhaegar confessed. “But I accepted our decision long ago and do not regret it.” He fell silent as Rhaenys dealt with the message of the story, for one of the first times in her life being able to relate to her father.

“I guess we are more similar than we realised,” Rhaenys eventually said with a smile, glad that her father had confided in her and truly shown her what it was like to be a member of the royal family, to be a Targaryen.

“We are. And you must stand strong through this tough time. Everyone is out to bring you down or kill you, even those you might regard as a friend. You hold great power and responsibility, and I hope that I have been able to teach you to be wise even though you are not yet a queen.”

“You have, father. Especially now, I feel more like the princess you want me to be than I ever have before,” Rhaenys agreed with a smile, causing Rhaegar’s face to brighten.

“I am glad to hear that,” he said with a grin. “So you know what you must do?” Rhaenys paused, considering her two options for a brief period of time; be selfish and flee with Jon, or wed Robb and keep the realm at peace.

“I do.”